Left to Rot
by LadyInfam0us
Summary: (AU) A dreadful disease and vicious flesh eating creatures leave Clary the last one alive in her town. She leaves her town to search for survivors. She must learn to survive in a place where no one is safe. Will she find other survivors? Or will Clary be the last one left to rot? (Rated M for violence, adult situations, and possible lemons later on.) (All human characters)
1. Week One

**Week Three after the Outbreak.**

Everyone was dead. Her whole town had slowly started to die off. She was the last one left.

No one know how it started. It came all of a sudden. A sudden sickness that once you were sick, you were done for. There was no cure. There was no explanation. It came and it destroyed everything in its path. It was not selective. It struck everyone, the young, the old.

I was alone.

When the whole world went away, i tried to stay at home. My mother Jocelyn went first, then my father Valentine. They had gotten sick. It first starts with flu like symptoms, and then harshly turned to fever. Your body got so hot, it almost felt like you were being boiled alive. They had finally given up the fight, and died.

I was 17, and living through the first few weeks of the infection had hardened me. I was no longer the soft Clarissa who loved to paint. I was the hardened Clary who knew how to survive.

I had wrapped my parents bodies in blankets and sheets and dragged them outside. I took the shovel out of the shed and prepared to make a hole. They had looked grotesque in death. The sickness had ravaged them. I covered them the best i could. When the hole was dug, i lowered them into it. I placed my mom beside my dad, and i sat by the hole crying.

I had lost them. I had lost the world. Now i would never go to the art school that i had dreamed of going to for years. The phones, tv's, internet had all gone down weeks ago. There was no help.

The tv had broadcasted for a week after the inital pandemic. Warning us to stay inside, and take medication for our illness. At that time, we were healthy. We stayed inside, and barely left for anything. My father had bravely left to run to the store and stock up on supplies, and was almost attacked by a mob of infected people trying to steal the food!

The military had intervened around week two of the outbreak. They started quarentining all towns and cities. If anyone was sick they were supposed to report to the Military's Medical Center that usually consisted of fences and wooden walls so you couldnt see into. Every city had one to my knowledge. Whatever happened inside there, the ones on the outside never knew. If a loved one got sick, you pretty much just said good bye. There was no hope.

The people of the town hobbled out in the street, mostly sick, to watch bodies being put to the torch. Right in the center of town! More people were dropping everyday. The military lost interest in quarenting the sick. We were all left to rot.

Eventually the stores ran out. The stores were ransacked. The military lost control. Mostly everyone was dead by then. Including the people that worked for the military and in the medical center. There was no hope for anyone. Once you got sick, you were done for. The healthy people avoided the sick like the plague. Everyone locked their doors and stayed inside. The risk of infection was too great.

Was in airborne? Was it through some pathogen that was on surfaces? Was it communicable through person to person? What was its mortality rate?

No one knew.

No one had a clue. Not the President, not the military, not the scientists, not anyone. We were all just as perplexed as everyone else it would seem. People just dropped like flies. It was happening all across the globe. In all parts of the planet we called Earth. Nobody was safe and there was no way to prevent it. Once it struck it struck. You could not prepare for it, there was no medication to take. There was absolutely no way to survive.

Once you were sick, you were sick. Some people had gotten lucky. Out of the inital wave of infection, less and less people were starting to get sick. There was hope! Some people thought that if you survived the first wave, you were fine. Then they too started to die out. Some would last weeks after the Outbreak to eventually contract the disease and then too die out. When it was your time to go, it was your time to go.

I had waited for the disease to strike me. I had huddled inside my living room waiting to die. My parents had realized that this wasnt just a passing thing, they had borded the house up the best they could. They had stockpiled the house with enough food to last awhile. They had prepared for the worst, and they still were outside buried in the yard.

I had survived.

A few survivors of the town had banded together. Scavenged for food and the like. At first i had not wanted to venture outside my property for fear of being sick. But after losing everyone i had cared about, i decided it really didnt matter. I was going to die, just like everone else. Why hide inside waiting for it to come? I would go out and live for as long as i could and then i would die at least with the knowledge that i tried.

There were six of us when i finally got the courage to find them. It was week three after the Outbreak. We made up a rag tag team of survivors. Mrs Hakers was the lady that ran the flower shop downtown. Her whole family was dead. Mr Jackson was the custodian for the High School, his whole family was dead. Jake Sully, Miranda Tully, Timmy Frank, all families were dead. Jake, Miranda, and Tim were all High Schoolers like me. Mrs Hakers was in her fortys and Mr Jackson in his thirties.

We were all healthy, at first.

Mr Jackson had taken charge at first. Sending us out on errands. Find food, find water, find medicine. Until one night, Miranda never came back. She had been sent to the far east side of town to look for anything she could find. We had worried that she had somehow hurt herself. Little did we know that the sickness wasnt the only thing to worry about.

We had huddled in our make shift camp trying to wait for Miranda. Maybe she was just running late, maybe her haul was so heavy she had to rest often. We all made excuses in our head as to why she was late.

Our camp was in the old Town Hall, it was easily fortified and it hadnt been ransacked or destroyed. Most of the town had burned down by angry infected, or looted and destroyed by the distraught survivors, before they too had died. We had all the doors barricaded and locked. Miranda knew the way in. It was a door that we had left barricaded but able to open if you knew how. We had put board in front to deter passerby, even though there wasnt many left at this time.

We all decided to hunker down and wait. Maybe she had met other survivors and would be back shortly. We couldnt just leave the camp if she was coming back. We all didnt live in the camp. I frequently stayed at my own house most nights, as did the others. We only stayed together like this for something important. Each day we had to check in to Mrs Hakers, who usually stayed near the camp, seeing as she lived down the street above her flower shop. We would report to her how we were feeling.

If we were sick, we had to go home. We werent allowed back until we could show we werent sick anymore. Out of the six of us, we didnt get sick. Not then anyway. We were all healthy and able. Since Miranda, Tim, Jake, and i were young we got the scouting missions. Mrs Hakers usually did the cooking, and Mrs Jackson usually everything else. We all tried to work as a team.

It was after midnight when we heard the noises. Snarls, growls, and hisses. The noises of wild beasts. We had all been asleep by then. No one was asleep after the noises. We all woke with a start.

"What was that?" Jake whispered.

"Proabably animals Jake, dont worry. Must just be some animals rooting through the town." Mr Jackson said calmly.

Was i the only one who worried?

The noises echoed and died away. Whatever it had been, it had went away. Animals were dying of as well so i didnt believe the calm words Mr Jackson said. Animals got sick just like the humans did. Nothing outlasted this disease, not the horses, cows, dogs. Nothing. It affected us all.

A deep thud crashed into the Town Halls front door. The door that we heavily barricaded with desks and chairs. With each thud, came a groan of pain. Whatever it was it wanted in. Tim had almost screamed before i had slapped a hand down on his mouth. Whatever it was, we couldnt let it know we were here.

Random noises came from outside. We all huddled together in the dark. Surely if it was a human out there we would hear them speaking, but all we heard were animal noises. High cackles, low whines, deep throaty snarls. I was huddle next to Tim. He was shaking. I was calm and resolved. Things could not get much worse.

Oh how wrong i was.

I slipped from Timmys shaking grasp and slided forward.

"Clary stop! What are you doing. Come back here!" Mrs Hakers cried weakly.

I ignored her. One part of the main door had a glass panel. I was determined to take a glance through it. I wanted to see what was out there. What could have survived when all else had died?

Moonlight glimmered faintly through the glass panel. I calmed my racing heart and started slowly inching toward it. Just one peek was all i wanted, but when i did look i couldnt tear myself away. There were people out there!

I could hardly see in this light but i could tell that the shapes moving outside were human. Then i started to notice a difference. They didnt move right. They were hunched over, running along the ground like a dog. Some were stood up, but their backs were not straight. What were they?

"Clary what is it?" Mr Jackson asked coming closer to the window.

I didnt have anything to say. I was speechless.

"What in the hell?" He mumbled under his breath.

He gripped my shoulder and squeezed hard. I didnt even notice. We were busy watching the things out on the street. It was too dark for us to see properly. We creeped back from the windows. The others in the group were scared. I could see that in their eyes and the way they sat together. Almost as if a group would protect them, how i wished that were true.

"What was in Bernard?" Mr Hakers asked Mr Jackson.

"I dont rightly know. It looked like other people out there except-" He cut off midsentece.

"Except what?" Timmy demanded looking terrified. He was the youngest to the group. Fourteen years old, was a freshman in High School. I pitied him now more then ever. It had been hard on us all, but at that age? I grimaced thinking of the other children that could have survived without their parents until they succumbed to the disease, or hunger.

"They didnt walk right." i said.

"Walk right? What do you mean, walk right?" TImmy stammered.

I didnt know what to tell him. Pretty soon though we had a clear picture.

It was about nightfall, our trio of teenagers had left once again to scout out supplies. Losing Miranda meant Timmy had to go out now. We barely survived now as it was. Losing Miranda meant one less pair of hands to help. Timmy did not want to go. But we had no choice but to make him. We all had to put in our fair share of the work. Whether we liked it or not.

Me and Jake had returned an hour before sunset. We had gotten a good haul from the rich part of town. Mr Jackson was smiling at us and telling us how brave we were. Timmy had not yet returned. We had sent him on a closer area to search so he wouldnt be far from the Town Hall. He should have been back before the rest of us.

"He cant have wandered far. Or maybe he just went home." Jake said nonchalantly.

I had not forgotten the weird creatures we had seen last night and i worried. Miranda was still missing, and now Timmy was as well. Where could he be? Maybe Jake was right, maybe he had just went home. We had sat on the steps, Jake and i, waiting. We sat for a good while watching the sun fall behind the trees.

And then we saw him, his little skinny figure farther down the road. He was limping and from this distance i could not see why. I got to my feet.

"Jake! Timmy's hurt maybe-" My voice cut off as i seen him pushed from the back. By a creature, a dark mottled disfigured beast. The sun was fading slowly but we could still see a little bit. The beasts were waiting in the dark shadows, slowly moving forward with the shadow. Were they afraid of the light or something?

I was about to run for him when strong hands held me back. Jake had a firm grip on my arm.

"Let me go, cant you see we can still help him!" i screamed.

"Clary, look." he said weakly.

I turned back around and saw what he meant. The shadows were catching up to Tim. In a few more moments he would be engulfed and then he would be at the mercy of those things. I stifled a cry. What did they want. What were they?

I watched with horrified eyes as the sun was slowly receding into the night. Timmy still came on strong. He was a few blocks away. And now with him closer i heard him, he was crying. Crying out for help, for his mother, for anyone. My heart lurched in my chest. He was limping heavily from one leg. I could see the blood leaving a trail behind him. Those things had apparenty gotten ahold of him somehow. I couldnt imagine the pain and terror he was in.

The shadows finally descended. They were on him in seconds. I turned away but i still heard his screams. The beasts were cackling, chewing, eating. They made enough noise that i didnt have to see to know what was going on. They were killing him. But why? He wasnt doing anything wrong!

I closed my eyes until i couldnt hear his screams anymore. Then i turned around slowly. All that was left of him was a puddle of blood and gore. I chocked back bile rising in my throat. Who could do such a thing. They hadnt just killed him they had torn him apart!

Thats when Jake grabbed my arm and started to tug. I looked at him with dumbstruck eyes. He pointed with one lone finger. The sun was almost gone. A brief patch illuminated us on the warm steps, but soon we too would be in the dark.

The beasts had finally noticed us. They growled from down the street. Timmy long forgotten. They knew we were there. We had to get back inside!

I slammed my hands into Jake to get him moving and we both ran for the hidden door. Hopefully those things werent as smart as us or they might get in! Once we had the door open we shut it with a bang. Then we started to drag desks, furniture, whatever we could to block the door more securely.

We had just finished when something heavy slammed into the door.

 _Crack. Thud. Crack._

Those things wanted in, and they wanted in badly. My heart felt like it was about to burst as we waited to see our fate.

The beast hit the door one final time and then we heard it walk away. We were safe! I gave Jake a last knowing glance, and then made my way to the center of the hall to find the others. Either way, out lives had just changed, for the worst.

I learned alot after that first encounter.

The dead did not stay dead. They came back. But they were not who they used to be. They were not human either. They were hairless, their teeth jagged, their hands ended in claws. They had the hunger for human flesh. Once you were in its jaws, there was no help for you. It ate until you were consumed. It ripped at your flesh until there was nothing left.

Most people refered to them as mutants. They were mutated beings but to me they would just be animals. They had no memory. They had no reasoning skills. They possesed nothing but the need to eat. If you encountered one, your best hope was to run and hope to escape. Once taken down, you were done. A bite wouldnt exactly kill you but it could. If the sickness got inside the wound, you would die. The best course of action is to not come in contact period.

If you were lucky, you stayed dead.

If you werent, well...


	2. Week Four

**Week Four after the Outbreak.**

Over the next week, i lost everyone. Mrs Hakers was the first to get sick. She had hid it for a little while until she coughed so much that we all knew. She was crying when we told her she must go home. We all felt sad for her but there was nothing we could do. She tried to plead with us, that it was just a normal illness but we knew better.

Then Mr Jackson started to come down with it too. We hadnt seen or heard from Mrs Hakers so we assumed her dead. Nobody was going to check. Mr Jackson was breathing heavily and we noticed it right away. All that was left was me and Jake. We sent Mr Jackson home too. He didnt fight it or argue it. I was going to miss him. He gave us one sad last look and then he too left for home. We all knew that that was as good as a death sentece as they were every going to get. It was terrible the fact that you had to die alone in your own home. But we could not risk the disease infecting the rest of us.

Over the next two weeks, me and Jake huddled in the town hall. Since we were the last ones left we decided to stay together. We had not seen the beasts since they tore up Timmy. We had seen hide nor hair of them. They seem to have left the area. They did leave behind evidence that they had been there though. Torn garbage cans, pools of blood, from what i couldnt tell. We felt secure to be out in the day. So we tried to get our errands done as early as possible. We were taking no chances.

Jake and i becamse close over the next few days, we thought that we were the only two left in all of the world. He was like a big brother to me. I laughed inside because in High School this guy would never be seen talking to me. He was from the popular group where i was the artsy type. But here we were, struggling to survive.

When Jake started to cough i felt like this was the end. If he was sick, then i would be sick as well. I stayed away from him but i didnt make him leave. I didnt want to be the only one left. I didnt want to die absolutely alone. I slept as far away from him that night. We didnt speak, we didnt need to.

The next day i went out by myself to find food. Jake was too sick to move and i didnt want him contaminating any of the supplies. I left the Town Hall with a heavy heart. He wouldnt last much longer. And then it would finally be my turn...

I returned a few hours before sundown. I had found some canned food and some medicine in one of the houses i raided. I felt a little better that i'd at least be able to feed him. Things couldnt get much worse, but at least i could give him what i could. I returned to the Hall, opened our secret door and instantly could smell his death. He was laying beside his belongings near the center camp. He was bloated and contorted that even i, who had spent alot of time with him, did not recognize him. I dropped my bag by the door and cried.

I cried for all the things that i had lost, i cried for all the things that i would never have. I cried for my little band of survivors who hadnt made it, and i cried for my parents. I had lost everything. I cried until something inside me broke. I was done crying. This was the world that i now lived in and i either accepted that or died right along with it. And i wasnt going to die, i didnt want to die.

I stared at his body for a few minutes longer. I could not leave him here. He would begin to decay and who knows what his smell could attract to me. I needed to get him out of here. I walked closer, stifling a cough from the terrible smell. He was in the fetal position. He looked a sorry sight, even to my eyes. I grabbed his blanket and wrapped it around him. The smell of death filling my nose.

When i had him wrapped i begun to drag him to the door. He was heavy! I was not a big girl, i was small framed and willowy. It took me ten minutes just to get him to the exit. I heaved him out and dragged him around the side. Where could i leave him? I didnt have time to bury him. The sun was going down. I had maybe an hour or less to figure it out.

I left him on the front steps and looked around. There was really no place to leave him. Most shops along this street were all locked. I couldnt drag him in time to the unlocked places. Those things might be out and about and i didnt want to suffer a similar fate as Tim did. I would have to leave him out here on the sidewalk. But no, not near the Town Hall. That might attract unwanted attention. I needed to leave him somewhere just enough away that it wouldnt be suspicious by anything or anyone.

I left him outside on the sidewalk in front of a conveniece store. It had taken me longer then i thought to drag him that far. I whiped sweat of my face and said my good byes. I felt sad that i could not bury him properly, but i really couldnt risk it. I shouldnt be in too much contact with the body anyway. Seeing as how i practically was nose first to it the whole time i dragged it, didnt help.

I ran back to the Town Hall as the sun begin to go down. I had made it just in time. I opened the door, closed it, and sat in my make shift camp. My camp that was all mine now. I felt cold deep inside. Was this it? Was this the end? Would i die here too? Like the rest? I felt a cold resolve settle in my mind. I had no choice, if i was to die i was to die. I could not change the world no matter how hard i tried.

Sometime later i heard them, the beasts. I heard them running around on the street. I went closer to the window panel that allowed sight onto the street. I saw them running around, snarling, sniffing, looking. They had found Jake's body. I couldnt see exactly what they were doing just faint outlines. They were near it, but they werent attacking or ripping it apart? What did that mean?

Then they started to drag it away. Why? He was dead. What could a dead body be needed for from them? I watched them fade into the darkness, taking Jake with them. I had seen enough. Whatever those things were they were not friendly. It was best to avoid at all costs. I did not want to confront one at all. Those things scared me.

The next morning i woke up tired. I had a long day ahead of me.

Everyone else had died, i had tried to stop in at the flower shop to maybe see if Mrs Hakers was ok. Even though i knew she was not. I knocked several times with no response. She either was dead, or too sick to answer the door. Mr Jackson's though had left his door unlocked, maybe he had expected someone to come.

When i pushed the door open and stepped into the dark and gloomy house, i did so with a heavy heart. I could smell death, and decay. I didnt want to see his contorted body but i had too. I had to make sure that in death, his body would still be safe. I didnt want those freaks coming back and taking away the only people after the infection, that had been my friends. I slowly walked through the house. When i reached the living room i was puzzled. It smelled heavily of death in here. I could smell decay. But where was the body? There were pictures lined up on the coffee table. Pictures showing Mr Jacksons wife and kids. He had apparently wanted to see them one last time.

I shuddered back the bile rising in my throat. Whatever that has happened here is done now. The beasts must have gotten in and took his body before i got here. That or Mr Jackson crawled out of his house to die somewhere else, and the beasts still got him. Either way he was dead. This smell of death would not come from a living person. Either way his body was gone.

I gathered my resolve and went to find more supplies. What would i do now? Stay here, toiling away until i died? I didnt want to be alone. If i was still alive, then chances are there were other people right? There had to be. I couldnt be the only one left on Earth. There had to be other people, just not any in my town.

I would have to find them.

It would be hard, and i didnt know what i'd find. But anything was better then sitting here waiting for the beasts to break into the Town Hall and get me. I had to be brave and i had to get moving. Once i collected supplies, i would gather what i needed, visit my house, and then spend one last night in Town Hall before leaving early in the morning. I would not be coming back here. I would not be the last one, left to rot.


	3. Week Six

**Week Six of the Outbreak**

It had been two weeks since i left my home town. I had left as soon as the sun had started to rise. I had no time to waste. If this sickness killed in its own time, i wanted to see what the world had to offer before i went. It had been hard, saying good bye to the place i had been born. I had visited my bedroom one last time .

I gazed at my paintings that i had attached to the wall. It saddened me that i would no longer be a painter. I visited each room in the house. Slowly taking in as much as i could of my house. I had no intention of ever returning. I was scared, but i was determined. I would not live the rest of my life afraid.

When i had finally seen all that i had wanted to see. I sat beside my parents graves for a few moments. Speaking to them even though i would never get another reply again. I hoped they were happy where ever they were. I would miss them.

When i was ready, i hitched my bag up on my shoulder and i continued to walk. I exited the town going west and i didnt stop til the night was almost upon me. I spent my days in whatever shelter i could find. Abandoned cars, barns, sheds. Always wary of the beasts. I didnt know where they were or where they went when the sun was up. I knew very little about them. I just knew to stay away.

After being on the road for over two weeks, walking with minimal rest, i made it into a small town named Rockbury. I decided to spend the night. I was tired and thirsty. I was lucky enough to encounter a spring to which i could fill my water bottles. Things had been lucky so far.

I walked into town feelings relieved. The place looked almost the same as my town. It had been ransacked and abandoned. Garbage littered the street. I kicked a can with energy. Things had to be better here! Maybe there was a whole group of people hidden somewhere. I had to hold on to that thought. If i didnt, my will to live would be crushed.

I walked down the mainstreet sweeping my eyes left and right. Looking for any signs of life, or death. Had the beasts been an anomaly only in my town? Or had they spread? Was there beasts everywhere? Maybe it had been just in my town. I hoped so with all my heart. The world was bad enough without things alive that were trying to also kill you, as the disease was too.

I had not heard a single sound since i entered the city. All was quiet, too quiet. It was almost like i was the last person on Earth. You could hear the wind slowly blowing but that was all. This place was a ghost town.

I checked a few houses, stores, public places for any sign of human activity. I found nothing. There were signs of people but those people were long gone by then. Probably all of this town died right along with mine. There was a Medical Center down past the central part of town. It was a ramshackle building that looked like it had caught fire. The front doors were shut, but the glass in them was broken out. The outside was surrounded by a fence covered in a tarp material that kept people from looking in. A tarp erected hallway made a passage way to the front door.

It was erected probably about the same time mine had been. It was a crudely built shelter but it did its main purpose. Sick people went in, no one came out. I was curious as to what was in there. Maybe survivors decided to camp in there. But as far as fortification went, it was a bad job. Nobody had repaired or barricaded any of the doors or windows. If there were people inside, they werent very smart.

I pushed the door open with my hand. It slowly creaked open. I could see a makeshift room with beds all along the walls. Dusty equipment was beside each bed. I could not see any bodies, but i could smell faint traces of sickness. Apparently the dead had not rested here. This was the room for the sick.

I walked down the room, walking past all the beds. Some had been overturned, but some looked as if someone was just about to get into it. Perfectly made, covers tucked in, it was spooky. I quickened my pace. There was a door at the end of the room. It was locked electronically i could see, by the number pad beside it. But the power had been out for a long time now. The door was open a crack.

I grasped the door with my fingers and pulled it forward. It slowly came open. God, it was heavy! I heaved once more until i created a Clary sized gap and i slipped through.

I looked around. This must have been the lab part of the building. I could see vials, desks, spilled substances. It was a mess in here. It looked like someone just took everything and threw it around at random. I looked for anything interesting. There was nothing but papers of too high language for me to understand. I dropped those and continued my search.

I found an office. An office that looked pristine. Nobody had ransacked this room. Surging with hope i ran to the desk. I began searching. For anything of importance. What i found was staggering. It was a letter that had been a copy of an original report.

to: _Capt. Sarvey_

 _Report 1_

 _Restricted Access_

 _2/27/13_

 _Study the subjects. Keep close watch on any mutation or other factors as described in earlier reports. Quarentine any sick subjects and monitor there progression of death._

 _You have been assigned a difficult task. This task can not be known by any other but you. You are not the last, nor will you be the first. Your duty is above all, the most important._

 _Keep away from the diseased as often as you can. Take no risk! Take precaution. Inform all Lab Techs and Med Techs of the precautions in the report we sent earier in the week. Stay calm. Do your assignment._

 _DO NOT HAVE PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THE SICK!_

 _Regular reports shall suffice._

 _Send any new or alarming information. Keep infection controlled._

 _Use military strategic's to keep the town under control._

 _We look forward to your reports._

 _End report._

There was another report under that one. It read.

 _to: Command Central_

 _Report 45_

 _Restricted Access_

 _3/23/13_

 _Inform the others, we are lost. Rockbury is lost. Of the population of 5,877 all are deceased._

 _Many came in sick with the mutagen known as M2. Over half were infected within the first week, then half of those left were sick, and so forth. M2 was a success. The mortality rate is around 89%._

 _One quality to express is that its changing. Just as all mutagens do. Its learning to adapt and is enginering itself to infect those that werent infected. I fear that we have made M2 more lethal then we should have._

 _Also a note of interest, the disease is manifesting itself. Its trying to become a more lethal virus. Of the subjects we have studied, we have found disturbing qualities._

 _Of the 100 subjects, all contracted with M2, within the first week of the Outbreak. The subjects usually lasted only a short week. The disease wiped them out._

 _Of the next 100, subjects, all contracted with M2, weeks after the Outbreak. The subjects lasted only a few days. The disease wiping them out._

 _We can correctly theorize that the disease is mutating. It is learning to kill quicker and more efficiently. I fear all is lost._

 _Im sorry to inform Command that i too, am sick. I fear i do not have much time left. The Medical Center has been forgotten. The Med and Lab Techs have all deserted and i have no men left to reinforce them. We are all dead._

 _I fear for my soul. What have we done? God forgive us all._

 _End Report._

The report ended.

I was sick to my stomach. The government had done this! They had created this M2 with the purpose of death! And somehow it had gotten released and nobody knew how to control it! I slumped to the floor. Capt. Sarvey had sent this letter out a few weeks ago. It has been right around the time that everyone in our camp had started dying. It was now six weeks after the outbreak, and this whole town was gone by the fourth.

I got shakily to my feet. If the mortality rate was that high, how could there be anyone left. If it was changing on itself, what happened when it was at 100% instead of 89%? I was in shock. How could they do this? How could they let this happen? The world was on the edge of extinction because of this M2, and the beasts!

The report had said how it had reported some mutation in the disease. It was allowing it to change and respond to its environment. Could it also change the thing it infected? Were the beasts not random at all? Could they actually be science experiments that had gone wrong? Were they the bodies of the infected that had come back stronger and more vicious than before? Was this disease meant to kill every single person. If the disease didnt kill you, then your mutated cousin might.

I laughed hysterically.

Things were out of control. Rockbury was completely dead. I had suffered callouses, sores, and sunburn for a dead town. It left my energy almost depleted. I had come this far. And for what? To be faced with the same thing that my own town had been. Was there anywhere that was safe? Was there any place that was safe? I was beginning to doubt.

It took me til Week Nine, to realize that there was hope to be found after all.


	4. Week Nine

**Week Nine after the Outbreak.**

I had been traveling for a little over three weeks. I was exhausted, tired and definitely sunburned. I had kept to the main roads and highways. Cars clogged the streets on every road. I had to spend more time figuring out how to get around things than anything else. I had kept on walking til i had passed over the Ohio State Line. I was now entering Ohio.

There was no sign of life anywhere. I had seen a few rabbits that had somehow escaped the infection. Apparently not all animals had died, just as not all humans had died. Or so i hoped. It was slow going. I was weary. I felt lost.

Where was i going? Where would i end up? I needed human contact. I hadnt talked to anyone since Jake. I had been all on my own since then. I dont know how much more my sanity could stand. Surely there had to be at least someone out here? I had sticked to major cities on my travels. Just for the simple fact, that bigger cities meant more people, more people meant better chance of survival.

It was almost 4 o'clock when i entered the city of Newcastle. I had to find shelter quick. It would be night time within the next two and a half hours. I didnt want to risk being out in the night. I tried to keep a fast pace, but i was too tired.

I walked down the street, trying my hardest to look and see all i could. This city was just the same as any. All the small farms, towns, i had walked through to get here to Newcastle were all the same. They all were ghost towns. Ransacked, pillaged, and not a person to be seen. I started to lose all hope. I had been traveling for weeks. I had not even seen any sick people. It was as if no one was left.

There were bodies of course. Almost everywhere, you could see dead bodies rotting. I tried my hardest to avoid these scenes. Some places were more body free than the others. The ones that had been locked in their car when they died were the worse. The heat of the car had made the bodies rot quicker, it was disgusting to see.

I slipped my pack of my shoulders. I dug around for my last bottle of water. I needed to find supplies here. I had to stay for the night. I took a small drink from my already half empty bottle. I put the bottle back in my pack, and put the pack back on my back.

I started searching. I needed a place that was easily fortified. I needed food for the night as well. Where could i get food? I turned around in the middle of the street looking. I spotted a food mart all the way down the street. It was almost out of sight. My eyes had gotten easier to spotting things. I was always on the alert for things like food.

I walked down the sidewalk, edging past all the clutter. It took me a few minutes to reach the mart. The doors were not broken so i took that as a good sign. I could still see a few things on the shelves! Apparently the sick had not had the time to completely scavenge all the supplies.

I grabbed the door handle and pulled. It opened with a creek. I stepped into the gloom and looked around. I went to the food isle first. I put some canned peaches, pea's, potatoes, into my pack. I grabbed some other stuff that was still well within its expiration date. Then i made my way to the medicine. I grabbed some band aids, some antibiotic, and other necessary items.

I was bending down to grab some peroxide when i heard the door creek open. I stopped paralyzed. My heart thudded in my chest. Was it one of the beasts? I could see the sunlight still filtering in, granted it was getting dimmer and dimmer the more i spent in the mart. It was still light out. I had time. So it couldnt be them. Then who was it?

I cautiously peered around the isle shelf. I could hear someone picking things off the shelf. It must be human. But was it friendly? I was not naive to know that some people were not so nice. I was also a girl. I couldnt let my defenses down. I went into a crouch and slowly started moving toward the sounds. I needed to know who it was.

I was knelt down beside the shelf, the other person was right on the other side! I moved closer and closer til i could take a peak, and when i did i wasnt prepared.

It was a man, well young man. He looked a little older then me. He was dressed all in black. He had weapons attached to his belt. His outfit was meant to be able to blend into the night. His hair was the color of gold. He looked fierce. He looked so hot.

I blushed, i should not be thinking these things! I had to focus on the task at hand. I tried to see what he was doing. He was looking at the food as i was. He was comparing one product to another. I tried to see what it was, but then my knee hit the shelf with a thud. His golden eyes matched his hair. But i didnt have time to register that because his eyes were narrowed in anger.

I didnt think twice. I ran. I ran out the door and let it slam behind me with a crash. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. Nobody that was friendly looked at someone like that. I ran down alleys, i ran down streets, i ran until i couldnt run anymore.

I stood on the sidewalk trying to pull in a breath. I couldnt seem to get enough air into my lungs. I bent over trying to breathe. I had not noticed the sun. I had not noticed the change in light. So focused on running, i had not noticed the night.

When i did, it was too late.

I was finally front to front with a creature. It stood at the end of the street. Making weird snuffling sounds. It was pacing back and forth on all fours. I was terrified. It had no hair, its eyes were a red glow, its claws scraped the pavement in agitation. I had no weapon. I had no way to defend myself.

I was dead.

There was no way i could outrun it. I was so weak from the walk here, and then the run from the golden haired boy. I could feel its hunger even from here. It was going to eat me. It was going to devour me. It would crunch on my bones. I would be nothing left, when it was done.

The panic gripped me like a fist. I was like a deer in headlights. This creature had me so entranced. It padded forward, slowly coming towards me. Sliding one clawed foot forward at a time. I should have ran. But i couldnt. Alls i could do was stand there and watch.

And thats when i saw someone run into the street, in front of me to stand in front of the beast! It was the guy in the mart! He was standing defiantly in front of the beast with a sword. A sword? Where in the hell did he get that? Why didnt he have a gun?

He stood there waiting. The creature didnt like this. It hissed and scraped its claws. It growled deep in its throat. The golden boy stood his ground. It charged.

I had never seen someone move that fast. He was standing still, while that thing was running at him, and then he moved.

He dodged a claw and swung his blade up in an arc. Spraying blood across the pavement with one swing. The beast cried out in pain and tried to swing another clawed hand up the man's chest. The man dodged the attack. Swinging his blade in another arc that sprayed blood.

I watched amazed at this performance. He acted like he wasnt afraid. Like he didnt even know fear existed. He dodged every attack and always hit his mark. He was truly something amazing. I watched him take the creature down with one final cut that tore the creatures head nearly off.

It thudded to the ground with a sick sound that made the hair on my neck stand up. I couldnt take my eyes of my savior. Who was he? How did he do that. Where did he come from? I had been assured that i had outrun him. But yet he had found me here. He had rescued me from this thing. Why would he do that after the look he gave me in the mart?

Thats when he noticed me once more. He wiped his blade on a cloth he had and then attached it to a sheath on his back. Then he started to walk towards me.

I stumbled backwards. I still didnt know if he was friend or foe.

He held his hands out in an innocent gesture.

"I know you are probably scared, but we do not have time for this. If you want to live, then you follow me." he said.

He turned around and headed through an alley. I stood on the spot til i noticed that there was hardly any light left in the sky! I jolted after him. I slowed down when i caught sight of him walking down the sidewalk. He walked confidently but quickly. We walked for a few more minutes, me lagging a little behind, when we finally reached our destination.

It was a small little shop, i think it was a jewelry store. It had no windows and was heavily fortified. It had a drop down cage that sealed of the street from the store. It must be a temporary shelter.

He hoisted the gate up with a crash. Startled i looked around, i could see nothing moving towards the sound. I relaxed. When he had that up, he opened the front door and gestured me inside. When i skirted past him into the shop, he let the gate fall down with a crash. He stepped into the shop with me and closed the door. The room went dark.

I squeaked with fear, i put my hands up in a defensive position when suddenly a beam of light hit my eyes. Ouch! I closed them quickly, and then slowly opened them to get used to the light. A flashlight was in his hands. He was looking at me with amusement. I felt anger building until i realized why he was amused. I was still standing in my defensive position. My hands were clenched in little fists, i lowered them quickly.

He shone the flashlight around until he saw what he wanted. In the wall there was a hole. I could see nothing within it. He gestured to the hole, and i followed. Someone had busted a way through, so what was on the other side?

I followed him and his flashlight through the cramped hole. When we finally reached the other side, there was a ladder. We had apparently traveled through the other shops and someone had put a ladder here.

He started to climb, so i followed. I wondered where he was taking me. When we reached the top i found out. We were on the roof! The moonlight shone from the sky enough to illuminate the rooftop. There was a makeshift camp stationed up here.

He rummaged in his pocket for a lighter. And then he knelt by the makeshift fire and got it alight.

"No, No, What if the beasts see it!" i cried.

My voice had come out raspy and thin, i had not spoken for awhile now.

He looked back at me with an eyebrow raised.

"The beasts? There not beasts, they are mutants. And dont worry, the afflicted cant climb." He turned away from me and hunched by the fire. I was chilled so i made my way to sit across from him.

He was pulling out cans of food. I watched him grab a pan beside the fire pit, and he opened the can with an opener, he then put the food over the fire. It instantly smelled amazing. I had been just eating things from cans, not wanting to attract any attention. He was intent on his cooking, and i was intent on him.

He looked like a fighter. He was something i wasnt. I had gotten scared when i was face to face with that thing. He had appeared calm and collected. I wished i could be like him. I wished that i wasnt so defenseless. Why had i never thought to find my own weapon? I was starting to doubt my survival skills when suddenly he looked at me.

His eyes burned brightly over the flames. My breath caught a little bit. Now that i had found someone, someone alive, i did not want to lose him. What if he told me to leave? I would follow him. I hadnt seen or heard anyone in so long. He studied me for a moment longer and then checked his food.

When it was done, he rummaged through his things and handed me something. It was a spoon. He then brought the pan off the fire and started to eat. I hesitated. Eating from the pan would mean i would have to get closer, he obviously had no plates. i scooted as close as i had to and took a spoonful.

When we had finished he rinsed everything out with precious water. He then handed me a bottle, which i drank greedily. He watched silently. I felt awkward under his gaze.

"What your name?" he asked.

"Clary." I stammered.

"Well Clary, it looks like were not the only ones after all."

He extended his hand out to me, "You can call me Jace."


End file.
